Life deathWhat can you do?
by Tobiee
Summary: Under the heavens above, there was no sunlight- there was just illumination. There was no pale moon for timid stars to hide behind when twilight appeared- There was total unnatural darkness. Only frigid wind seemed to reside....
1. Chapter 1

Introduction

Darkness.

At least that was all that I could register, my eyes wide, blinking hard against an eternal night.

A night that had no stars, no milky soft light from a hazy moon- It was the night from your mind,

a darkness that thrived off numbed thoughts, frozen in fear. I wasn't sure if my eyes were actually

open, or if they had been clamped shut- a familiar pain reawakening within me. Strong, cold as ice,

a long needle piercing my unprotected cheek. My voice raw and shaky- woke within me as I cried out

time and time again. Nothing happened. No one came. My teeth clenched tightly, my muscles ached from head to toe. My eyes gave no indication of light, no movement from around me. The copper taste of blood was everywhere. I could not escape from my own personal hell.

Empty space.

I had no knowledge from up to down, where ground and sky would have met. No thought passed through my mind without panic, hinting to my exhausted lungs, that my time might actually be over. Rough and shallow, I was breathing fast, a dangerous pace, on my way for a panic attack...my heart skipping along almost as fast as my breath. I could feel the quick and uncontrolled pulse of my heart beat- it echoed through my being, pounding harshly in my ears. Like thunder to the soul.

Then came the pain.

One breathe, two-three breathe, one breathe.....and then - nothing. I am unable to breathe anymore, as my lungs fought for air that did not exist , an eternal exhale. I could feel my muscles screeching for oxygen, my body trashing to no avail in pursuit- It felt as if I had fallen from a cliff, only to meet the rocks at the bottom for a friendly handshake. My heart had given its final attempt of life, and failed. I shuttered along with my heart, I almost could feel it crashing in my chest. I tried to scream out , that's all I could do, There wasn't anything else I could help with- I failed at that to. No screams, no familiar sound of breathing, not even a heartbeat.

An impenetrable silence. A darkness no light could ever break. Pain from which I had never experienced in my short life- twisting its spinney, glass like fingers around every physical nerve in my body.......was this death?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter one/.....half

Sky, an endless sea of blue, the clouds lacing like waves on an ocean from horizon to horizon. The world above me stretched as far as the eyes could see, pure and untouched by the venoms of life. I felt weightless, my body seemed to be nothing compared to the vast expanse from above , a single water droplet in the sky. Beyond the sky, Time it's self seem to dwell, it's lucid kingdom beyond the point of physical visibility. Under the heavens above, there was no sunlight- there was just illumination. There was no pale moon for timid stars to hide behind when twilight appeared- There was total unnatural darkness. Only frigid wind seemed to reside in this open range of heaven, twisting , carving its path between clouds of white- a viperous snake, coiled to strike.

Numbed, I began to stir slowly from what felt like a sleep that lasted my entire childhood- eyelids fluttering, fingers stretching, my body slowly thawing from its unreadable time of neglect. Long legs, toes pointed to the ground, my muscles releasing themselves from time's grasp- my back arching slowly- painfully. Gravity had found my jaded body, it wrapped it's claws around my soul, bringing my body crashing down into the milky expanse. Down from the expanse of the heavens to a lonely surface. A brutal crack to the skull, as Pain erupts from between my eyes -teeth clash together , the salty taste of blood and vile wrapping around my tongue. A scream. Mine? Cold wind greeted me- my grounded body, bringing a shiver though my bones.

"...Dang...that's _is_ cold." I muttered, my voice a spark of heat in my dry mouth. Squeezing hard, I opened my watery eyes, only to squint them back shut in utter shock.

"Okay, that's not real. Definitely not existent....not _normal._ Time to wake up, WAY too much morphine." Instinctively, I shook my head, to clear the image, to return to normality. The pounding began, my head pulsing , I growled in anguish- a wave a nausea washing over me. I pulled myself over in time, awkwardly, to vomit- my stomach heaving in violent convulsions. Coughing, I chocked back a gag, falling back into my bruised spine- fists curling tightly, the rough gravel pinching the soft skin between my fingers. _What was that?....._

Wincing, I carefully pealed my eyes open- The sky was everywhere, consuming everything, the clouds dots of mist in the distance. My head whirled as I tried to take in the extreme angle of the atmosphere- the whole upturn of the heavens seemed precariously shifted to fall and crush the very person beneath it. I swallowed hard. _I have to be drunk.....although I don't think I might have ever been. _This was going to hurt, _I could just feel it_. Taking a few deep breathes, I tried to calm my jumpy nerves from..._a hangover? _I didn't know.

Propping myself up onto my elbow, I struggled, and almost half failed into a adequate sitting position. _Yay for me_- was all that I could manage, before I was struck with an albatross of memories- thoughts that had been stowed away years ago.

The pain radiated from my chest, every rib seemed to be telling its own aliments, every story for every part of flesh. I could feel them all. A hole, a missing heart, broken beyond repair as she walked away into the night. Loneliness was my companion, my faithful friend- no company for those late nights lying awake, feeling the physical emptiness all around me. The fire, bright in my clouded eyes- smoke, so much smoke, inhaling the acid like mist, my lungs burning. my right arm docked at the scapula , the scared flesh wrinkling with the sudden movement- the shock as a fraction of my body was ripped from its source. the smell of burning flesh, and singed hair. A memory stinging fresh in my mind, as strong as the pull of Love itself. something that would never be reality again.... Her warm lips touching home to mine- the scent of her lovely body washing over me- surrounding my innocence. the feel of our warmth together, enveloping us in the flames of our desires, our love. Late nights lying in each other's arms, the look of happiness in her bright eyes. The shear look of hate from my Father's eyes, closing in around my life, his pressured embarrassment for his disloyal son. A son he wished was never born from his blood......the distaste of his words.

Sorrow wrapped its crying arms around me, my jaded self. Grounded and chained to the earth, never to soar high in the skies of freedom, to taste the cool wind on your skin. Every memory surrounded me, clung to me like a clock of despair, thoughts that pushed even the strongest of men into shame. Lifting a limp hand, I felt the nub that had once been my right arm, the skin hard and jagged in the web of a scar that would forever remain imprinted upon my body. Something that I could never hide, not from anyone, including my lonesome self. The heat burned against my skin, I could feel the flames licking up face, the air thick with soot- the flash back as aggressive as the night the event had happened.

"Dear Lord in Heaven.... What happened?" I muttered numbly to no one.


	3. Chapter 3

**-Chapter .... 2 2/3-**

The wind was brutal, a hammer to my back as I limped weakly in the rocky wasteland, in no direction in particular. The sand whipped past me in a cold fury , the tiny grains, piercing my skin like needles,-leaving no hole in their evade for a sigh of relief. The sky rose above my small existence , blanketing me in its pale light- its great expanse towering over its domain.

I was exhausted, it felt as though my energy had been taken from me the moment my eyes had flickered open to this strange place-Although I was still convinced that I must have been under the influence of drugs, even when I had never been. Surprise , surprise. My legs were tired, numbed even, as though the blood flow had been ceased, every step was a drudgery, never ending to looks. The rocky land stretched far, perhaps farther than I could see- nothing but sand and black surface surrounding me. Panic jumped alive within my throat, the acid like effect burning my mouth, making swallowing difficult, my stomach sick with the knowledge I was taking in. A knowledge that was miserable in the fact that confusion was to now be my lead in finding hopelessness.

"Great...." sarcasm thick on my tongue, as I quirked my eyebrows upwards to the distant clouds.

A chill ran throughout my body, and my teeth chattered in response, their clacking the only sound to aid in the wind's howl. A thick black curl of hair fighting the wind's revoke caught my in the face, and I moved a hand gently across my head, to pull the hair back into place, only to have my hair slap my in the eyes again. _Funny._ I thought, annoyance filling my features, my lips tugged into a scowl. Peering out into the waste ahead of me, I saw something-A shadow against the light. Squinting, I peered into the distance, a Silhouette of movement , something was out there, almost blending into to dry horizon. I almost shouted in surprise, my eyes wide, my jaw fell open- I could almost see the look of shock in my blue eyes. _I'm not alone...THERE'S SOMEONE OUT THERE!_

Quickening my pace, I managed a fast walk, compared to my sore 'Oh gosh, I'm lost' walk- my muscles yelled in reply, sending shoots of pain branching out into my knees to my pelvis. I cringed, clenching my teeth, bearing the odd pain- for the sake of being with someone, not to walk this desert alone. The rocky sand caught my exposed feet, ripping at the thick skin, but I paid no mind, I had to keep moving- moving to a mental sanctuary, I wouldn't be alone. I had to be quick!

The sky seemed to shift around me, The colors changing before me from a translucent deep blue, to pale grays, and light browns. I had to watch the horizon to keep my eyes from wandering upwards to watch the precarious heavens, while it had a mood swing. I trudged farther still, not bothering to stop and watch, I didn't have time to stare. I had to catch this person before they got too far ahead- away from me. I felt the same wave of nausea wash over me when the feeling hit me like a stone- heavy, I couldn't ignore the foreboding feeling of danger advancing quickly upon me.

Darkness seemed to fall around me, as quickly as the sky had turned its colors. The wind came to a sudden halt, like a the snake coiling away from a hidden cat. A cat that could bite its broad head in two, leaving nothing left of its viperous bite.

The ground beneath my bare feet began to fade, and I felt myself chock. The air was thinning, rapidly. My lungs smoldering, bending within my exposed chest, pain biting into my nerves, my unprotected inner core- The air was disappearing around me, as I watched the silhouette on the horizon fade with the light, with my hope. With what felt, my heart. I cried out in horror, my body coming to a standstill- My muscles freezing to the bone.

"Oh, crap....." I whispered hoarsely- My mouth to dry to manage anything else.

Then, there was darkness.

The unnatural dark that had filled my sleep, my mind- my soul. It closed in upon me, and lapped my life up , like a kitten to its mother's milk- shamelessly addicted to its own life support. I could not outrun this, I could not hide from it...I could do nothing but let it into me, to rape me until there was nothing left for it to feed off of- until I was reduced to but a memory.


	4. Chapter 4

The sand was cold and thick beneath my clammy fingers, as I felt gingerly along the earth- my sense of touch the only guiding light in the darkness. My breathe was quick and shallow, as I sucked in deeply, hoping for the oxygen to return somehow. Fat chance. Knees scrapping through the sand, occasionally bumping into a jagged rock-the skin peeling from my bruised shins. My skin prickled in the cool air, the nape of my neck, awash in cold sweat- Black curls of hair sticking to my skin in damp despair. I was panicked. My hand caught a hold of a large rock, as I pushed my weight against the blockade to clear my path- I ended up, crawling over it awkwardly.

My head pulsed, a headache in the back of my mind. My eyes burned in the Ice like air, I rubbed fiercely at them with the back of my hand. It didn't matter- _I couldn't see anyways_. Left arm aching, I leaned back onto my legs- I couldn't take much more of this. The cool sand felt good on my cheek as I laid down in the gravel, head resting in the thick earth- my narrow chest struggling to keep up with my breathing.

The darkness was sucking the life from my broken body, and I bizarrely, had to laugh at the thought of it. I smiled, cracking the dry skin on my lips. My cheek resting on the cool and hard sand; I drifted off in the cold and unforgiving darkness. The earth began to melt away from me, and again I seemed to be floating, weightless, beyond the reach of gravity. I could almost see the light, as I imagined it- It lite up the space around me, scaring the darkness into the earth, back into the caverns of Hell. " I like that thought..." I whispered.

The light would be everywhere, I came to the conclusion. Then the dream would be over- finished by the smell of coffee and breakfast lingering in my senses. The air would reappear, my lungs as healthy as they had been before the Darkness- deep breathing, _here I come_....The hot steam surrounding my body in a mist of comfort- the hot water of a shower to wash away the stains of the day. The thick pluck of the guitar strings beneath my adept fingers- music flowing like water around the empty room. A sadness that would be forever in my fingers, a longing for music- I could never play again. Not like I used to. The light shown like my own personal sun, lighting up every crevice of my heart- My very being exposed. It only seemed to get brighter by the passing second, until I wretched my eyes open, to find myself bathed in a glow of red. It had a sinister appeal to it, the comfort I had once been drenched in was now gone- it had fled my side to leave me in the open. The ball of light hung before my face, so close I could feel an intense heat radiating from it, as it swung slowly from side to side. I lifted myself off the ground, my body was so heavy. I found the ground, and steadied myself, my balance returning in time. The light followed my every movement, not sparing a second between the ground and my face. I peered hard at it, adjusting my eyes to the sudden light that chased away a fraction of the dark.

**"......You....Not sleep off....do you?....."** A voice spoke beyond the red glow. A voice that stopped the blood in my veins, halted the beat of my heart , made me rethink the possibility of demons. The voice was like a mouth full of broken glass and acid, it hissed in attempt of words- a gurgle of noise, somehow making its speech make sense to produce communication. Beyond the red glow I could make out the massive shape, and by the looks of it, my Six' three frame only came up to the beginning of its broad chest. Decomposed skin hung from hefty bones, thick jowls hung from what appeared to be a mouth- Teeth resembling that of a BIG shark poured from oversized gums. The smell of rot and rancid vomit Mingled together to produce an effect strong enough to knock the sense of smell right out of your nose. My stomach rolled in the stench, fear taking control of my lifeless stature- I was a dear caught in the headlights of a monster truck.

**"Sleep....not allowed.... for ...you. Your dreams....are mine**..." It breathed, hissing at me- A sick smile hanging off its gated mouth. I screamed. And I admit that I did.

A hand the size of small window, claws long enough to cut me in half- reached for me, a slow and sickly movement. " I don't think so!" I growled, dodging the long razor like nails. My legs found nerve responses from my brain and I shot off running blind, away from the red glow and the creature in possession of it. A dangerous Angler fish drawing the gold fish out of the depts of the ocean, with a fancy glow of light. _You had to be kidding me, ....._

I seemed to be flying; I could almost swear I had been, that I had left the surface to float above the world_. A world I was blind in. I couldn't forget that part, I could smash my face in..._I thought with some worry and my lips curled at the thought. _ Run,_ I urged myself silently. I tripped and stumbled over, who knows what- but I didn't slow, not even for a moment. The stench from that creature seemed to be stuck on me, I could smell it still at the wind whipped by my face, through my hair. My lungs fighting for that air that would never come.


	5. Chapter 5

I sucked in the paper like air, like it was morphine, I was addicted- and I couldn't stop running, fear driving me hard through the blind space. _This has to end sometime..._I encouraged myself weakly, I was panting like a dog, sweat pouring down my cheeks, the taste of salt on my tongue. I didn't feel the hard sand and sharp rocks pierce my feet, I didn't feel the heaviness of my legs, nor did I feel my sore muscles screaming out in agony. I was running to hard to be aware of any such things. This was also the reason that I ended up flat on my face a moment later- as I howled in surprise, biting down hard on my tongue. Sand met my olive face and I heard, rather than felt, a crack as my nose bent upwards, a way I had no idea it go- an indication of pain. Lots... and lots... of pain. I fell so fast I couldn't react, no hand out to catch myself- my knees slammed into the rocky ground, the air fleeing my lungs. I was gasping for air- a fish out of water, as I held my face in my hand - blood pouring over my lips. _ I can do this!..._"I can do this....I can...."

CRACK! My nose slid home, back into place, as tears welled uselessly in the corners of my eyes- The warm blood still flowing freely over my face. " See, no problem...no , pain...." I cringed, gently rubbing at my long nose. I could feel the clammy hands of the darkness, reaching out for me, as I sat hunched, still holding my face- I could feel its fingers trace up my skin. I had to keep moving thought the emptiness, I knew this, but I couldn't seem to find the strength to stand. Panic balled in my throat, my heartbeat rose in my chest- my stomach rolling with anxiety.

A small orb of red light was once again before my eyes- washing my skin in a murderous shade of burgundy. I found my strength then- and I was up before I even began to realize. Not daring to look behind me- I fled into the opposite direction, my legs working hard to keep up with my panic.

**"....You...can run.....but....no hide from...US**...", I felt a breathe of hot air in my ear, the putrid smell burrowing into my senses. I lashed out with a quick hand, pushing myself further away from the awful reek, from the unrelenting bite of death.

"OVER HERE YOU BIG FATTY!" a scream in the darkness- a high pitched voice of hope. I turned on heel in the direction of the voice, in a shower of sand and rock.

" Hey! I"M HERE! " I cried back in reply.

An orange light bobbed ahead of me, maybe a half mile from where I was- my heart nearly jumped up my throat. Was that another ...Demon? Or a chance of salvation? A trap waiting for an imbecile like me?_ I think I'll take my chances with THAT orb..._

Dashing into the darkness, the murderous glow fell from my skin and I began to be alight in a warm orange illumination. It flushed up my skin, igniting my naked body in a glow of deliverance. I pushed my muscles hard, praying that they didn't give out now, in call of the moment- I felt like a structure ready to collapse at the slightest touch.

She was slender, small enough to misunderstood for a child, dark hair cascaded over her shoulders, spilling onto her bare stomach. The long metal pole was awkward in her fragile arms, the orange orb hanging several feet above her head- a halo of light around her. " Hurry, run to me!" she urged more panicked.

I burst into the orange light, nearly colliding right into her small figure- I seized the pole, her tiny hands with it. I heard her cry out in protest, and then anger._ No Time._ We were both running now, our exaggerated breathing melting together in a flurry of fear and 'live or die'. She began to slow and I yanked her closer to me, nearly off the ground to keep the pace fast enough from the leering face behind us- its deformed mouth crooked in a toothy smile.

**" We have....eyes..on you Sam..."** It chocked in laughter, its voice drifting farther and farther from us- leaving us alone in the unnatural night.


	6. Chapter 6

I heaved in the attempt to breath, my chest rising and falling erratically in the glow of the orange light- I choked for the thin air, for the oxygen to replenish my exhausted body. I was laying, back to the cold sand, my face pointed to the darkness above us. My lips were parted, the blood had dried to a thick paste over my mouth from my, now, crooked nose- I picked at it with a shaky hand, wincing.

" Speak ...English-usted habla español?''

"uhh...no habla espanol....I speak English." I stuttered in reply, looking over at girl sitting next to me- her knees were pulled to her chest, chin resting on her arms. Large chocolate eyes peered at me, pulling me into her being- cinnamon skin, light and soft to the touch- a waterfall of black hair cascading around her. Her face was a small oval, her lips full and friendly, despite the current situation. I knew I was going to get along perfectly with her- my lips tugged into a slight smile, my features softening.

Next to her lay the pole; it shimmered a heavenly silver, dancing in the pouring light. Delicate patterns carved into the metal traced from the handle, flowing into a wave of silver fingers clutching at a the orange light. The orb bounced up and down, suspended in the air, the silver fingers were the only thing holding it to the earth before us now. I had never seen anything before, like the lantern before me now. It seemed to emit a pull from it, something that inlayed a curiosity in me that I just had to know.

"Name?" She asked, her tongue wrapping roughing around the forced words. "Maria..." ,She whispered pointing to her heart with gentle finger. She smiled weakly, her eyes melting the ice and the cold around us.

"My name's Sam. " I jabbed a hard finger into my chest and repeated, " Sam."

"Sam...Maria." She cooed to herself, eyes on the ground. A half smile playing on her tan lips. "Soy así que feliz haber encontradole Sam…."

I cocked my head at her, I hadn't a clue what just came off her lips, but that was fine with me. I wasn't alone. I was happy.


End file.
